


New Year's Eve

by Close_to_the_Sun



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Horror, Inspired By Tumblr, M/M, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, New York City, No Smut, Oneshot, Plot Twists, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, twist ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:53:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29074377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Close_to_the_Sun/pseuds/Close_to_the_Sun
Summary: Inspired by the Tumblr AU where the soulmates' body parts where they first touch are black until they touch, then it turns rainbow.Remus wants to step out of his shell, find his soulmate, and finally start living. Hopefully travelling to see the ball drop in NYC will help him accomplish those goals.
Relationships: Remus Lupin & James Potter, Remus Lupin/Male Character, james potter/lily evans potter (background)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	New Year's Eve

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy, and sorry if I destroy this AU for you-

Remus was equal parts excited about his first trip to America. Excited because he'd never left England before then. Nervous because there were a million things that could go wrong. What if their flight crashed, what if he had an allergic reaction and had to go to the hospital, what if they couldn’t get home… he spent most of his time on the flight worrying about various scenarios James had insisted wouldn’t happen. Despite his friend’s reassurances, Remus was sure that by the time they got to their hotel, James was sick of hearing his concerns. 

“I know you’re worried, mate,” James told him, “but it’s gonna be fine. We’re not staying for that long.”

“I know,” Remus sighed. He stared up at the popcorn ceiling from his position on one of the creaky beds. “I think Lily’d mind if you left her alone with Harry for longer than a couple days.”

James laughed. “Probably.”

Looking for something to do, Remus clicked the television on. It turned straight to the news channel, where a reporter was saying, “...Sirius is wanted for the murders of his parents, Walburga and Orion Black-”

“God, change the channel. I don’t care about America’s problems,” James groaned. Remus complied, turning it to a rerun of Spongebob Squarepants. James nodded in approval. “Now _this_ is cinema.”

The next day was New Year’s Eve- the reason they’d come to New York. James was vibrating with excitement, waking Remus early so they’d have lots of time to visit attractions before midnight. Remus wanted nothing more than to sleep in for another five hours, but he dragged himself up, knowing James would appreciate his effort. “Alright, at least tell me we’re getting breakfast before we go out.”

“Not at all, Remy! I’ve found a lovely diner for us to eat out at.” James pushed the door open, bowing dramatically as Remus passed him. Remus just shook his head.

“My allergies-”

“Stop worrying so much!” James teased. “They’ve got stuff you can eat, I made sure ahead of time. Let’s go, come on!”

Remus glanced in the mirror, his jet-black lips sticking out even more than usual against his pale skin. He glanced at James, messing with his hair, trying to look less like he was twelve. It… wasn’t working. “You look fine,” James told him. “Really.” 

“I wish I’d met my soulmate,” he muttered. “Knowing my luck, I never will.”

“I’m sure you will,” James said sympathetically. “And hey, maybe he’ll be here, right?”

Remus nodded. He felt himself smiling as he rushed out into the cold December air. Maybe it was time to let his borders down, just a little, just for a small time. 

They ended up going to James’ diner, and Remus was glad to see there was food for him. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust James, it was just… he was working on the whole ‘trusting people’ thing. After they left- James insisting on paying for everything- they went to see the Statue of Liberty, then the Empire State Building, then they just wandered in Times Square. Remus was surprised at how long all the lines were, although he supposed there would be more people there than usual. He was glad when they went back to the hotel at 6, thoroughly wiped out from the day’s activities. “I’m gonna take a nap, okay, James? Wake me up before we have to leave.”

“I will!” James agreed. “Are you doin’ alright?” 

“Yeah, better than I thought I would, actually.” Remus sighed. James held his color-streaked right hand up for a high-five, which Remus accepted. “You and Lily just… shook hands? And it changed?”

“That’s what I remember.” James shrugged. “Looks pretty cool.”

“It does…” Remus let his voice trail off, before tossing himself onto the bed farthest from the window. “Well, don’t be shy to wake me.”

He quickly deepened his breathing, not wanting James to feel like he had to reassure him. Remus didn’t need his ego being padded. He just wanted to feel complete, and it was hard to do that in a world where everyone could see at a glance that he wasn’t. He definitely didn’t want to hoist his emotional baggage on James, so he just did what he was best at: avoiding the conversation entirely.

It felt like no time at all before Remus was being shaken awake, and it was 11:30, time to go to watch the ball drop. James made sure Remus was securely wrapped in multiple layers, so there was no chance of him getting too cold. “Mother Hen,” Remus groused.

“You wouldn’t survive without me,” James hummed. He patted Remus’ shoulder, seeming satisfied. “Right! Let’s go, then!”

They headed out, Remus making sure to put a map of the city in his back pocket. He had his phone, but he could never be too careful. The Square was packed to the brim by the time they arrived, so the two were forced to stand in the back. There was a singer on stage, belting her heart out, but Remus couldn’t make the tune out over the sounds of everyone around him. Everyone was talking, or singing, or yelling, or making noise some other way. Remus should have been overwhelmed, but he was caught up in the electric high of it all. James tapped his shoulder. “If you want to meet your soulmate,” he called, “kissing a stranger on zero would be a good way to do it!”

Remus grinned. It made perfect sense for his soulmate mark! “I’m gonna try to get closer!” he shouted back to James, who gave him a thumbs-up.

He forced himself through the crowd until he was close enough to the stage to clearly make out the giant clock and the ball. He lost sight of James in the squish of people, but he was sure they’d find each other again. Before long the minute timer was ticking down. “Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five…”

Remus trailed off, noticing the man next to him. He was striking, with shoulder-length black hair, silver eyes, and _black lips_. Maybe it was makeup, but Remus couldn’t help but hope-

“This is what we do, right?” the man said to him, before kissing Remus gently as the clock hit zero. The people around them began to sing, but Remus barely heard it over the fireworks going off in his mind and the heat in his face. When the man stepped back, his lips were a myriad of rainbows. Remus didn’t need a mirror to know his were the same.

“S- soulmate?” he squeaked incredulously.

“Guess so! What’s your name? I’m- I’m Regulus!” Regulus held his hand out, reminding Remus of James. 

“Remus… Lupin. I’m so glad to meet you. What were the chances- I’m rambling, sorry-” Remus’ voice shook from how horribly flustered he was.

“Nice to meet you too, Remus,” Regulus said sincerely. “Do you want to go to a bar or something? I’d love to learn more about you.”

“That sounds great!” Remus agreed. “Let me text my friend, then we can go.”

Regulus frowned, hesitation etched into his face. “Wait til we get there- I’ve heard of more than one case of someone’s phone being snatched out from under them in a crowd like this. I’ll remind you.”

“Okay!” Remus was glad to listen to his soulmate’s advice- if his accent was anything to tell by, he’d lived in New York for a while. Still, to make conversation, he asked, “Have you lived here your whole life?”

“Pretty much,” Regulus agreed. He put one hand on Remus’ waist and guided him away from the crowd. In any other situation, Remus wouldn’t have gone with some stranger, but he knew he could trust his soulmate. Regulus was a good conversationalist, asking lots of questions and talking animatedly. He was interested in Remus’ life in England, saying he’d only visited once. Remus told him as much as he could- Regulus would probably be seeing a bit more of the UK now that they’d met. Remus was thrilled to be speaking to his soulmate, to have finally found the person he connected with most.

He only started paying attention to where they were when he realized they’d been walking for almost twenty minutes. The street was no longer well-paved, concrete edges crumbling into ditches. The buildings around appeared dingy at best, decrepit at worst; a far cry from the sleek skyscrapers in Times Square. Remus shivered with fear as he noticed a hypodermic needle lying abandoned on the ground. He pressed against Regulus’ side. Trying not to sound scared, he asked, “Where are we going?”

“To my friend’s bar,” Regulus explained. “I know it’s not the best neighborhood, but they really need the patronage…”

“It’s alright!” Remus said, relieved. “That makes sense. I’m always happy to support local businesses.”

The bar itself- called The Tipsy River- was certainly not the best place Remus had ever been. The front was unpainted, chipped cement, the inside popcorn walls (what was it with New York and popcorn walls?) and ugly carpeting. The only customer inside other than them was a washed-out man surrounded by empty beer bottles at the bar. The bartender didn’t look much more sober than him. “I…”

“I can get the drinks,” Regulus quickly promised. 

“Thanks,” Remus said, smiling. After Regulus came back from ordering them, they began to talk. And soulmates they were! Regulus seemed to agree with him on everything from politics to favorite color, a fact which made Remus happy to no end. He was just glad there was someone who was like him, someone who cared, someone who he could let his defenses down with. Remus had a soulmate, and he had never been happier.

When a lull in the conversation hit, Remus said, “I should probably let you know… I’m allergic to almost everything in food. Especially gluten… and peanuts, and eggs, and milk… not chocolate, though, as long as it’s made without… any of the other stuff. So it doesn’t taste like much, but… I still like chocolate a lot.”

“Wow,” Regulus breathed. He reached out and patted Remus’ hand comfortingly. “If you had any of it, would you…”

“Die?” Remus asked, and his soulmate nodded. “Yes. I carry an epi-pen… well, normally, but I didn’t bring it tonight. I didn’t think I’d need it.”

“I’m sure you won’t, we don’t have to get any food,” Regulus promised. “Thank you for telling me.”

He ended up staying in the bar with Regulus for hours, and around three in the morning, he decided to call it quits. “I should get going, d’you think I could get your number?” 

“Sure.” Regulus started saying something else, but Remus cut him off frantically. “I forgot to text James. Shit, he’s gonna think I’ve died or something.”

“Is James your friend?” Regulus inquired. Remus nodded, and he continued, “Well, I don’t think he’ll mind you going off with your soulmate. Just explain what happened, don’t panic, okay? And… you want to come back to my place?”

Remus jerked his head up, face turning red. “Uh- I mean-”

“Not like that!” Regulus laughed. “I just… want to talk more. I want to know everything about you.”

“Oh, okay,” Remus agreed, relieved. “Sorry, I just- like to get to know people first, y’know?”

“Me too,” agreed Regulus. Remus sent a quick text to James- _w/ soulmate. i’ll b at airport on time._ \- before following Regulus out of the River and farther into the same neighborhood. It was only getting darker and creepier the farther they walked, and Remus couldn’t fight the sinking sensation that something was wrong. He leaned back into Regulus, wishing he lived in a better place. At least somewhere that didn’t look like it’d been deserted for fifty years. 

“We are… going the right way, right?” Remus asked hesitantly.

“Yes,” Regulus snapped, and Remus flinched slightly. 

“Is something wrong?” And then Remus knew something was wrong, because the place they stopped at wasn’t a house at all. It could generously be described as a shed, but whatever he called it in his head, Remus knew _something_ was extremely wrong. “You… live here?”

“Go inside, Remus,” Regulus urged, and he didn’t sound personable anymore. “You have to go inside.”

“N- no. I’m not- I can’t sorry, I’m not comfortable-”

“I didn’t ask you,” Regulus said simply. Remus felt his breath speed up to hyperventilation, digging frantically in his pocket for his phone- but Regulus grabbed the device the second he had it in his hands and flung it far to the side. 

“You- wh- what- Regulus-”

“Sirius, actually. Now go inside, _soulmate_.”

As Remus stumbled inside the shack, Sirius pushing him hard, he realized why the name was so familiar. He was surprised it took him so long, but his thoughts were becoming more like molasses by the second. “You were… on the news… you-”

“Oh, you saw that? Pity.” Sirius slammed the door shut behind them, then wrapped it securely with a chain. “I actually like you, Remus. I wanted to keep you around, but now…”

“Don’t kill me!” Remus said, quickly as he could. “I- what do… what d’you want? I’ll, uh… get you money, if- if you talk to Jim… James, I mean… he’ll-”

“I don’t want your money,” Sirius hissed. Pointing to a rusty folding chair, he ordered, “Sit.”

Remus did as he was told- or tried to, anyway. His body wouldn’t move the way he wanted it to. He tripped, faceplanting into the ground. The full situation dawned on him as Sirius pulled him to his feet, forced him into the chair, and tied him securely with a long rope. “Y… drugged me.”

“Don’t worry,” Sirius said in a soothing voice. “I won’t hurt you… except to kill you. That doesn’t really count.”

He stood, walking around the chair in slow circles. Remus felt a faint spark of hope beneath the heavy layers of whatever drug he’d been given. _If I can get him to talk, maybe he’ll go on long enough for me to recover._

“Why’re y’doin… this…” Remus slurred. He couldn’t even get his head to stop drooping against his chest, the terror he felt just a few minutes ago now gone. 

“I know what you’re trying to do, and it won’t work.” Sirius crouched in front of him, forcing Remus to stare into his gorgeous silver eyes. With decision, he pulled a glinting silver butcher’s knife from under the chair. “I would just shoot you, but… it’s not the same. The knife feels more personal- and I’d know. I killed my parents with this, because they hurt me. This is all their fault, really. Anyways, now I’m killing you, because as my soulmate, you’re a liability. I hope that answers your questions.”

Even if Remus could have responded, he didn’t have a chance. Sirius stood, pressed the knife to Remus’ throat, and pulled hard. In one clean slit, Remus’ neck burst open, blood spurting in thick sheets over his body, onto the ground, covering Sirius’ hands. Tenderly, Sirius whispered, “Goodbye.”

He made quick work of removing anything that’d lead the police to his next location, then grabbed Remus’ phone. It was locked, but he got in easily- the password was CHOCOLATE. He sent a text to “James Potter”, saying _wuts the hotel address_. He got a quick response, which was accompanied by _I’m there rn!_

Perfect.


End file.
